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I still can't believe author Gabriel Garcia Marquez died earlier this month. He was one of those literary idols that seemed larger than life, not subject to the rules the rest of us mere mortals are...so it was a shock I'm still absorbing. In a way, he still lives and continues though the wonderful legacy of stories he left behind. Thank you Mr. Marquez for writing down your words...

Authors After Dark
is coming QUICKLY (in August) and organizer Stella Price has this report: OMG this year is going to be INSANE!

As always AAD is about the readers, and the amount of awesome we have put together for you this year, you would be INSANE not to attend….

First, our amazing Master of Ceremonies is none other than Alexandra Ivy
! She will be doing a cool little event to celebrate your favorite gargoyle, Levet on Friday
! Wanna know more? Check out the FB group
where Alex will be talking about the awesome that she has going on!

Torquere and authors BA Tortuga and Julia Talbot will be Sponsoring our Welcome event,
the Midnight Rodeo
… And it looks like We will have some VERY COOL goodies and… Riding… happening… *SNICKER*

How about Parties? This year we have a special event called the Leather and Lace Ball
! Curious? We thought so! Take a ride on the wild side and let your inhibitions fly with five New York Times Bestselling Authors of erotic romance. Cuffs and corsets encouraged.

The ladies will be talking more about this on the FB group
starting soon!

New for 2014 is the Paranormal Party
! Join over 20 Paranormal authors who will be giving away goodies, some books and hanging out with you to snack and chat! Wanna know what authors are involved? You will have to join the FB group
to see!

And of course, we have the amazing Masquerade Ball! This year it’s the SINS AND VIRTUES BALL! Are you a sin or a virtue? Join us for a wild costumed event! Prizes for the best costumes, including a 200$ gift certificate to Lori Ann Costumes!

Your Sins and Virtues Sponsors:

Sin LustBoone BruxOpal Carew

Sin PrideBA TortugaAndrew Grey

Sin EnvyStella PriceTJ Michaels

Sin GluttonyDesiree HoltSaranna DeWylde

Sin GreedAnn MayburnHeather Long

Sin SlothLizzie T. LeafJulie Morgan

Sin WrathStacey KennedyMarianne Morea

Virtue CharityKerry AdrienneTrista Ann

Virtue ChastityJenn LeBlancAnnabel Jospeh

Virtue HumilityMilly TaidenDonna McDonald

Virtue KindnessCJ EllissonAlexandra Ivy

Virtue TempranceJ. KennerSidney

Virtue DiligenceDenise Grover SwankJenna McCormick

Virtue PatienceLousia BacioKallypso masters

And if THAT
isn’t enough awesome that will be going on… This year we have an amazing off site costumed event… the Ladies on the Green
event sponsored by the AAD Anachronistic Society! This will be an hour and a Half on the famous GREEN in Charlotte (a half block from the hotel). It will be a Costumed event (though Costumes are not required they are encouraged!) to celebrate Gothic, Victorian, steampunk dark historical literature! Your hosts will be: Sahara Kelly, Amanda McIntyre, Leanna Renee Hieber, A.L. Davroe and S.A. Price. Prizes and readings will happen, as well as photo ops!

And NEVER forget the Amazing Open bar with Mel Schroeder and friends! They have SO MUCH awesome set up for you just before the Bookies… you do NOT wanna miss that!

Getting excited yet? How about some info on the AWESOME mini events we have going on? Ready?

On Wed. Night,Join Sasha White and Joey W. Hill for a wild party and Q&A
, Also, the Blind Date Book Party
will be open to start your con right! (If you have never done a BDBP, you are MISSING out! You need to attend, Get your blind date book, find the author that wrote it, and hang out with them!)

Thursday?Panels
up the wazoo, and the Bookie Awards
----- goodies and books to be given out! The hangout with The GNO girls lead by CJ Ellisson and Boone Brux
for some crazy fun! And if that wasn’t enough?Readings and a Blogger Sleepover party as well!

Friday? More panels
, a games carnival with Nina Gooden and Pals
, Name that Author with Cat Johnson
, and some other fun surprises!

Saturday? A few panels
, the Big ass booksigning with 100 authors
,
the Cowboy Stampede party
, the Readers Mad Tea Party with Hildie McQueen
, An after the bookies event with a special publisher sponsor
, And Jess Michaels’ Birthday extravaganza
!

SEE? SO MUCH AWESOME! All the authors that are involved with parties will be talking about their involvement on the FB group, so join up and get ready to rock.

Oh? You say you’re not registered for AAD yet?
You need to be! All registrants get put in the hat for the welcome party prizes, and these prizes are AMAZING! Breakfast with authors, Booze and Books, side trips to Carrowwinds…. We have a minimum of 90 special prizes…. So…

You need to rock this con! And as if this wasn’t enough…. AAD will be giving away something really awesome to registrants…. Wanna know what?

How about 5 VIP registrations for THE NOVEL EXPERIENCE 2015 in LAS VEGAS? YES… 5!

And…

How about this… If we hit 100 more registrations from April 10th
to June 10th
, we will give away 2 AAD registrations for 2015… 2!!!!! So get registered, get your room and get ready for one
HELL of an amazing year with us!

Squee! I get to be a guest on Bitten By Books blog today. As a reader, I have enjoyed visiting this blog repeatedly to catch up with my favorite authors, get the scoop and hopefully win an arc, a gift card or some other fabulous prize.

But really, as a girl with a tendency to fall in love with books and stories, the author interviews and events let me interact on a virtual level with the authors who spun these stories. Oh yes I have attended blog events featuring Jeanine Frost, Faith Hunter, and more. Knowing their thoughts on story and character was like catching a glimpse of the magic.

So, yes, I'm super excited to be interviewed on BBB and have my own event there...it's a bit like a musician getting a chance to play at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. : D

I hope you come & join in the fun. Besides answering all kinds of interesting questions (and yes, I'm open for more), I'm giving away $50 worth of gift cards...

My writing day starts super early, at about 5 a.m. because I enjoy the peace and quiet before the rest of the family wakes up and the house erupts into a buzzing hive of chaos and activity. By 3 p.m. I hit a slump and desperately need a pick-me-up treat. Preferably something healthy and yummy.

One of the best answers I found are peanut butter cookies! Made without flour and sugar, the cookies are high in protein and full of that wonderful nutty peanut butter flavor. Have these with a cold glass of milk and you're adding more protein and calcium too. So much better than grabbing a caffeinated soft drink!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking tray with foil (for easy clean up).
2. Mix the peanut butter, sweetener, egg and the vanilla extract (if using) in a bowl until all ingredients are well melded.
3. Scoop out a tablespoon of the dough and plop it on the prepared tray.
4. Using a fork, roll the scooped dough into a ball, flatten it to create the crisscross pattern.
5. Bake for 9 minutes.
6. If using chocolate chips, press them into the warm cookies gently.
7. Let cool a bit, then enjoy...of course, with a glass of cold milk!

If you know of any good, easy treats that are both healthy and delicious, please let me know!

Spring has special meaning to me because it's all about hope, a theme that is a constant part of my stories. So I'm thrilled to be part of the Spring Fling Blog Hop with a wonderful group of bloggers and authors.

Spring is my favorite season because you can see Mother Nature at
work. Living in West Texas, I find the transformation amazing – naked,
leaf-less trees preen in bright new foliage, the ground covered in stubbles of
brown grass now sports a soft, green carpet, and the dusty landscape now boasts
wildflowers of many colors. The season
is an important bridge between the chilly emptiness of winter and the punishing
heat of summer...a chance for the soul to breathe a sigh of relief and
replenish itself.

The cycle of life and death, the themes of renewal and hope play an
important part in my paranormal romance novella A Tale of Two Djinns. The hero,
Akshay (Shay for short), warrior prince of the earth djinns, earns the title of
Crown Prince at a high cost when he loses his best friend in a battle against
ancient enemies, the water djinns. He is heartsick and vows never to return to
the cursed battlefield, the place of death.

Yet, the story forces him to:

Wide-eyed, he goggled at the plain at the outer
edge of water djinn territory. A soft carpet of new grass covered the rolling
expanse, dotted with wildflowers of every color imaginable. Was this truly the
bone dry land he’d led Patthar and his army across a mere two weeks ago?

He
breathed in the sweet air and tried to tamp down the bitterness welling inside
him. Had the water djinns washed away all signs of the war with cleansing rain,
or was this new life flourishing thanks to all the blood and death that had
soaked into the earth? Midnight
took the opportunity to lower his head and taste the verdant grass. Akshay
closed his eyes and pulled in another deep breath, exhaled. Life ended in
death, followed by new life. That was the natural cycle.

Maya’s
face, her golden eyes glazed with liquid languor and lips parted in a sexy
smile, filled his mind. Maya. She’d
given him the greatest gift—life. She’d taken a man drowning in sorrow and
guilt and made him come alive. She was carrying his child, the new life they’d
made together. The realization shook through him like an earthquake, crumbled
the remaining walls to dust. He needed to find his heartmate and his son.

A Tale
of Two Djinns is my special story with 50% of the proceeds donated to UNICEF’s Schools for Asia initiative. The gift of education is all about hope and a better future. If you’d like to know more about
why this cause is close to my heart, please check out my Karma
blog post.

Here’s
a blurb:

A TALE OF TWO DJINNS is a sexy paranormal Romeo
& Juliet story with genies, feminists, kickass action & adult fun.

Available at Amazon,
B&N,
Smashwords & Kobo.Leave a comment here -- about why Spring is important to you (and a way to contact you)...and you may win a $5 gift card and a swag pack from me with CHOCOLATE!And don't forget to hop along the participating blogs and to enter in the sponsors' rafflecopter giveaway!a Rafflecopter giveaway

Being a creative individual means being a bit strange according to the standards of mainstream society. And that's okay. It's your particular strain of weirdness that is your voice or style, it is that distinctiveness that lets you create your own art.

Today I'm also at author Bethany Averie's blog sharing my love for Frankenstein and how the story influenced me as a reader and writer. Check it out if you like bookish discussions!

Interesting Note: Mary Shelley was often asked how a young woman could come up with such a horrific story...again, our weirdness gives birth to our stories and makes us unique. ; D

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